Overview

Description:

It is during each and every Winterfest, that a faction of green-furred gremlins make quite a mess, in the town of Emberlight. These 'grinchlins' as they are called, stop at nothing until they've hauled, each and every present from the town of Emberlight.

And so Impostoclaus has asked the Spiral Knights, to take up their arms and fight, the monsters that threaten the town of Emberlight. So grab a present and answer his call! Ensure that a merry Winterfest is had by all, in the town of Emberlight.

Notes

It consists of unique timed levels with no exit elevator where a party of 1-4 players must help carry presents for Gremlin orphans in the back allies of Emberlight.

The player will find themselves in one of two different levels, depending on the day. The first day of Winterfest lands the player in Alleys of Emberlight, with the next day being Silent Emberlight. This cycle repeats consistently until the event ends.

Presents are carried from one end of the map to the other in order to receive Winter Wish tokens, which can be traded to Randolph for various items. The type of Winter Wish received is random. The quantity depends on the type of present carried, the difficulty of the mission, and the depth. Tokens will appear around a present pile at the end of the map when a present is delivered. Tokens must be picked up by each individual player in order to be acquired.

When the player delivers a present, Gremlin orphans will gather around them and seem to laugh with joy. They will also open tiny presents. They otherwise wander around in a safe area, watched over by larger gremlins and a few knights.

Along the way many respawning monsters harass the player and various hazards hinder progress. When the player returns to carry more presents, several Grinchlins might appear to attack Impostoclaus. If Impostoclaus's health falls too low, the mission will be aborted. A Platter of Cookies and Milk appears near the first present pile if Grinchlin assasins are defeated. It can be thrown at Impostoclaus to heal him.

Kleptolisks can steal presents off the player's back with their tongues and digest them quickly. If defeated within a few moments, the greedy beast will drop the present it stole. The player will have to get another present from the starting pile if the Kleptolisk isn't defeated quickly enough. Kleptolisks will completely ignore presents on the ground, preferring to attack players instead, even if the player isn't carrying any presents or pickups. Presents on the ground vanish within a minute, so pick it up again and continue post haste.

Grinchlin Stalkers have a rare chance of dropping a Humbug Hat costume in Tier 3 versions of this mission.

History

2012: Alleys of Emberlight has switches and the squad can locate Gold Keys to access a present pile about midway through the map. The Platter appears near the end pile, and must be carefully carried all the way back to heal Impostoclaus.

2013: Silent Emberlight added to the level possibilities, and many changes were made to the layout of Alleys of Emberlight.

2014: Instead of one kind of Winter Wish, there are Green, Red, and White varieties that appear around the end pile.

2015: Blue Winter Wish added to token variety.

Recommendations

Strategy

Strategy Disclaimer

These tactics are developed by players who have experimented extensively with various options regarding this endeavor. Strategies are therefore opinionated - what works best for a player or squad might not be best for another. There are many biasing factors such as control preferences, experience with the attack style of items, and the individual's connection to the server - not to mention the player's personal goals. This section attempts to consider the most popular goals with the most reasonable strategies.

This mission is replayable. The timer should be considered a challenge, nothing more. Don't deplete your Spark of Life supply here...and importantly, do not stress out about the countdown, as there are no penalties associated with it. Deliver presents, have fun, and enjoy the holidays!

It is better to pick tokens up sooner instead of letting them accumulate, as the game has a limit to how many can be on the ground at the same time.

Alleys of Emberlight is generally considered to be the easier level. There are many other Winterfest activities in which to participate, so just wait until the next day if the desired level isn't available.

It is recommended to do this mission with 4 players in the squad, due to the nature of the mission's mechanics: with more players, this means more presents are delivered in less time, which means prizes can be obtained sooner. Get a squad together to spam runs with a single agreed upon strategy so nobody is hindering the squad's goals.

Loadout

Loadout Disclaimer

As always, use whatever gear you are most comfortable with, as long as it does not interfere with the strategies and success of the squad. Some gear can be significantly more expensive than others, so you should always factor in economics when considering loadout options for missions. Will the gear help with only a few specific areas, or many? Will it pay for itself quickly, if at all? There is usually more than one way to solve problems - these are what work for many players.

Goal: Speedy Token Farm

Mission Conditions

Depth 9

Elite Difficulty

The following loadout allows maximum speed and immunity to being frozen by Freeze Grates. It considers carrying Red presents in shallower depths, sacrificing 4 tokens per present in exchange for freeze grate immunity and, if all goes well, faster overall token accumulation because the player does not have to wait for freeze grates. The grates will still damage you, but they will never inflict freeze with these mission conditions and this loadout.

It is also generally less "annoying" to play with this loadout.

Freeze Grates on Elite difficulty in deeper depths will freeze the player, even with this loadout.

Battle Sprite, Perks, and Trinkets

Using this sprite's #3 ability, Angelic Aura or any ultimate variant, is a great way to just ignore hazards. The Maskeraith's Shadow Cloak falls short here, because the cloak breaks too easily to be of much use, especially when you want to be dashing as much as possible.

General Defense Options

This sturdy shield is easy to obtain. It will take hits from most things in the level, especially the Grinchlins. It will tend to survive freeze traps more, and it is a cost effective option if the player also wants to take on the Dangerous Mission: Grinchlin Assault!

General Weapon Options

While fairly difficult to obtain, the fast attack speed of these handguns make them ideal for clearing pathways. Sentenza is better at damaging Grinchlins, while Griffin is better at dealing with Fiends. Any fast handgun will do really, as a handgun's function in this level should be to clear obstacles and make Layoafers move out of your way from a distance. Humbugs will also be deterred if they are damaged at all, so speed over power is key for this strategy.

Goal: Humbug Hat

Mission Conditions

Depth 24 (deepest possible for this mission)

Elite Difficulty (best drop conditions)

Battle Sprite, Perks, and Trinkets

Using this sprite's #3 ability, Angelic Aura or any ultimate variant, is a great way to just ignore hazards. The Valkyrian Aura variant aids with charging weapons, and so will help with charging bombs.

General Defense Options

This sturdy shield is easy to obtain. It will take hits from most things in the level, especially the Grinchlins. It will tend to survive freeze traps more, and it is a cost effective option if the player also wants to take on the Dangerous Mission: Grinchlin Assault!